16 May 2008

Manchester's finest turned out for the party to celebrate the launch of the long-awaited Central Station Design Retrospective 'Faç Off' at Richard Goodall's new gallery space at the top end of High Street in the Northern Quarter last night.

Those coming out to play included Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, Bez, Mani, John Squire, Cressa, Terry Hall, Bruce Mitchell, Trevor Johnson, Dave Haslam and John Thomson. Central Station's Karen Jackson and Pat & Matt Carroll must have been very proud to see their work on display in such fine surroundings and in such good company.

When the drinks ran out we decamped to Matt & Phred's on Tib Street to continue the party with top notch sounds courtesy of Sam Carroll and his mate.

"Manchester, 1978. In the beginning there were four: Jez Kerr (bass), Martin Moscrop (guitar/trumpet), Peter Terrel (guitar/effects) and Simon Topping (vocals/trumpet). Four thin boys with a name borrowed from a Brian Eno record, the intense, drummerless quartet initially drew influence from Wire, Eno, the Velvets and Kraftwerk, and gained a manager in Anthony Wilson of Factory Records.

"May 1979 saw the release of their first ACR single, the dark All Night Party, although the sound and musicianship of the band would be transformed by the arrival of funky drummer Donald Johnson (DoJo) in August. Over the next few months the band gigged widely, often with Joy Division as part of Factory packages, and recorded demos with producer Martin Hannett as well as a Peel session. Their support slot with Talking Heads on their UK tour in December 1979 set David Byrne on a new course, and provided the compelling live half of their chic cassette package The Graveyard and the Ballroom. Post-punk, ACR now reflected the influence of Funkadelic, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, The Bar Kays and James Brown."